Venting cap for containers



June 7, 1966 R H RlCHMOND, 5 3,254,789

VENTING CAP FOR CONTAINERS Filed May 27, 1964 INVENTOR ROY H.RICHMOND,Sr.

his ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,254,789 VENTING CAP FOR CONTAINERS Roy H. Richmond, Sn, Wellsburg, W. Va., assignor to Eagle Manufacturing Company, Wellsburg, W. Va, a corporation of West Virginia Filed May 27, 1964, Ser. No. 370,553 1 (Ilaim. (Cl. 220-44) The present invention is concerned generally with portable storage containers for inflammable and volatile liquids such as gasoline, kerosene and other such liquids commonly found about the home, work shops, farms, boats, etc.

More specifically the invention resides in a new form of vent plug, commonly found on the removable cap for a filling opening of such containers or may at times be mounted at a convenient point on the body of the said container. Such vent plugs are employed to selectively release vapor pressure from or admission of air to the container body preparatory to pouring liquids therefrom.

One object of the present invention is to provide a vent plug of the character described, which may be economically manufactured and mounted in place upon such portable storage containers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a vent plug of the character described of resilient non-metallic materials.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a vent plug of resilient non-metallic material having a structural form whereby such resilience is employed to mount the vent in place and to permit ready actuation thereof for its intended purpose.

These and other objects of the invention will be made apparent from the following description and the drawing, forming a part thereof, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a side elevation of one form of portable storage container referred to herein;

FIG. 2 shows in enlarged side elevation one form of screw cap for the filling openings of the container of FIG. 1, with the vent plug in place;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged cross section through the cap and vent plug taken on lines IIIIII of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 shows a bottom view of vent plug of FIG. 3 apart from the cap.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, the portable storage container of FIG. 1 is indicated generally as 1. Such containers 1 may be of any suitable capacity, usually from one to five gallons, but may be larger. Container 1 is of any suitable construction, that shown comprises a seamless drawn dome shaped body 2, closed by a bottom -wall 3. Adjacent one peripheral edge of the dome shaped body is a suitable opening receiving a hollow pour spout 4, securely fastened therein. A suitable removable cap 5 closes the outer end of the pour spout 4. Adjacent the midportion of the top wall of the container are suitable lugs mounting a handle 6. Outwardly from the handle is a suitable container filling opening in the top wall of the container, having an upstanding enclosing flange preferably threaded to receive a removable screw cap 7 closing the filling opening. The construction of the container so far described is more or less conventional and forms no part of the present invention. 1

The top wall 8 of the screw cap 7, as best shown in FIG. 3, is provided with a suitable aperture 9 therethrough. Mounted in said screw cap aperture 9 is the vent plug of the invention and indicated generally as 10. Vent plug 10 is preferably made of molded suitably resilient material, such as rubber, plastic, etc. Obviously, plug 10 could be machined or cut from a solid block of such resilient material, but would be too costly.

Plug 10 is comprised of a head portion 11 and a depending stem portion 12. By way of example and not limita- 3,254,789 Patented June 7, 1966 tion, one suitable form of plug has a head of about A outside diameter and an overall height of head and stem of about A3. It may however be of other sizes as may be found desirable.

The head portion 11, which may be domed as shown or of any suitable shape, has an annular counter-sunk recess 13 in the bottom face 14 thereof, preferably concentric with the stem portion 12, and extending inwardly of the" head for a portion of the height thereof. Spaced about the periphery of head portion 11 and extending upwardly from bottom face 14 for opening into the annular recess 13 are a plurality of slots 15.

Stem portion 12 is-preferably generally circular in cross section and of generally solid cylindrical shape. Within the head portion 11, the portion 16 of the stem is preferably of less diameter than that of the aperture t in the cap top wall 8. Adjacent the bottom face 14 of the head portion 11, the stem portion 16 flares outwardly and downwardly for a portion of its length to a maximum diameter 18 which is substantially larger than the diameter of the aperture 9 in the cap top wall 8. In this manner, when the plug is mounted in the cap aperture 9, the sloping stern side portions abut the periphery of said aperture 9, sealing same against passage of vapors or air. Below the point of maximum diameter 18, the periphery of the stem preferably slopes inwardly and downwardly to a minimum diameter portion 19 which preferably is not of greater diameter than that of the cap top wall opening 9. The portion 19 may be of suitable length, preferably not less than enough to thread the stern through the cap aperture as hereinafter discussed.

Since the angle of inclination of the side walls of stem 12, below the point of maximum diameter, is primarily for the purpose of initially inserting stem 12 through aperture 9 of the top wall 8 of the cap 7, the stem portion 19 below the area of maximum diameter may be in the shape of an inverted truncated cone instead of cylindrical. This modification is shown by dot and dash lines 20 on FIG. 3.

Referring now to assembly of the vent plug to the cap, and actuation of the plug to vent the interior of the stor age container 1, reference is made to FIGS. 3 and 4.

To assemble the vent plug 10 with the cap 7, the plug portion 19 is entered into aperture 9 of the cap top wall 8 and vertical axial pressure applied to the plug. Due to the resiliency of the material forming the plug, the inclined walls connecting plug portion 19 with maximum diameter portion 18 permits ready deformation of the latter to pass through said cap aperture 9, permitting bottom wall 1 -1 of head portion 11 to abut against the outer face of top wall 8 of cap 7. This latter position of the plug is shown in FIG. 3. It will be noted, therefore, that the upwardly and inwardly sloping peripheral surfaces of the plug, above portion 18, seals the aperture 9 in cap top wall 8.

The relation between the sloping plug surfaces extend ing from plug portion 16, within head portion 11, to the point 18 of maximum diameter of the plug stem, is preferably such that when the head portion 11 is not under exteriorly applied axially aligned pressure, the stern portion 16 is under slight tension, rom plug portion 11, so as to retain said sloping surface in contact with the periphery of the inner face of the cap aperture 9 to effect a complete seal. Such a seal prevents leakage of vapors from any volatile liquids within the container.

To vent the storage container 1, pressure applied to the top face of plug head portion 11 and axially of the plug causes the head portion 11 to deflect downwardly and outwardly, and the stem portion to move inwardly of the container. Such inward movement unseals the cap aperture 9 permitting vapor pressure within the container to pass out through the aperture 9, channel 13 and openings 15 to the atmosphere. Conversely, air may enter openings ture 9 into the container 1.

During the act of tilting the storage container 1, permitting its contents to pass out pour spout 4, axial pressure may be applied to plug 11 admitting air to the interior of the container and accelerating flow of the contents through the pour spout.

I have herein described the presently preferred form of my vent plug. It will be understood that various modifications may occur to those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit of the present invention and I do not intend to be limited to the exact form as shown except as made necessary by the scope of the appended claim:

I claim:.

A vent plug for mounting in an apertured top wall portion'of a storage container for fluids, comprising,

a head portion of resilient material having vertically spaced connected top and bottom faces defining a cross sectional area greater than that of said mounting aperture,

an annular countersunk recess in the bottom face of said head portion extending upwardly from said bottom face for a portion of the height of said head portion and in spaced relation to the peripheral Walls thereof,

spaced slotted openings through the peripheral side walls of the head portion, extending upwardly from the bottom face thereof and communicating With the said head portion recessed opening,

a stem portion of resilient material integral with the head portion and depending therefrom through the mid-portion of saidrecessed opening therein and below the plane of the bottom face of the head portion,

said stem portion, within the said recessed head portion having a cross sectional area less than that of said container Wall aperture and terminating in an outwardly extending portion of progressively increasing cross-sectional area which is greater than the cross sectional area of the container top wall aperture and forming a seal therefor when inserted therethrough,

said stern -portion of increasing cross-sectional area terminating in a stem bottom portion of progressively decreasing cross-sectional area whereby the plug stem bottom portion may be entered into and passed through wall aperture as axial pressure is applied through the plug head and stem portions to deform them and dispose the plug portion of progressively increasing area beneath the said container wall aperture in sealing position, whereby additional axial pressure being applied through said plug head portion causes deformation of said recessed head portion permitting the stem portion therein to freely penetrate the said wall aperture and dispose the plug stem sealing portion in spaced relation to the inner face of the said wall aperture to vent vapors from and admit air into the body of the container.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,818,249 8/ 1931 Groble 22044 2,224,296 12/ 1940 Hoffman.

2,254,557 9/1941 Wittenberg 220-44 2,429,984 11/ 1947 Berglund 22044 X 2,670,871 3/1954 Spiess et al 22044 X 2,769,457 11/1956 Wittenberg 22044 X 2,933,102 4/1960 Hillman et al 220-44 X 3,141,586 7/1964 Wetterek 22044 X THERON E. CONDON, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Examiner.

R. A. JENSEN, R. H, SCHWARTZ, Assistant Examiners. 

